Milk Carton Wallets

Today is day 5 of the eco-craft challenge for me. I've been trying to create something everyday. This does not mean that I have a product made everyday though. Some days I do a lot of prep work. Everyday I knit a few rounds of my yellow plyarn tote bag. I am really trying to make a dent in my recycled stash (soda tabs, plastic bags, potato chip bags, juice pouches, etc.).

Today I wanted to make a dent in my milk and juice carton stash. A while back I made a milk carton wallet as shown in Family Fun magazine. Since then I have been saving my empty (and cleaned) milk & juice cartons. They take up space though. So today I printed the template for the wallet from the Family Fun website. I then opened up all of the milk cartons that I had saved.

I traced the template onto each one. Then I cut out the shape and the circle at the bottom.

Using a small crochet hook, I traced the fold lines onto the milk carton. Then I folded them with the help of a ruler. I want to line the inside with some nice paper or fabric. The problem is that I can't find any glue. That's why there is a small budget for the challenge.

One panel of the carton is not used. I thought about cutting them the same size, covering them, and making a book. It can either be for the outside of a book or all the panels can make a type of board book. Does anyone else have any ideas of what to use these panels for?

Another use for the milk cartons is making building blocks for toddlers. You open the top of the carton and clean it out. Stuff newspaper or other scrap materials inside of it. Fold the top so that it lays flat like the bottom, and tape it down. Then cover the carton with either contact paper or wrapping paper. You can cover that with clear packing tape to make it last longer (because kids like to tear the paper off).